Forum Jump
Source: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=380013&goto=newpost
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Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Presentation College in Aberdeen raises profile with new suites, more
Business After Hours at Presentation College
? What: Presentation College is hosting a networking mixer sponsored by the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce. Attendees can tour the facilities at the new wellness center.
? When: 5:15-7 p.m. Aug. 8.
? Where: Strode Center at Presentation College, 1500 N. Main St.
? RSVP: Call 605-225-2860 or email info@aberdeen-chamber.com by Aug. 7.
? Cost: $12 with an RSVP and $14 the day of the event.
?
?Presentation College's marketing slogan is "Stand Out" and the school is doing that as it works to raise its profile in Aberdeen and beyond.
?New suites for a growing student population are being built on campus. Half will be done before the fall semester begins, said Presentation marketing and public relations director Tim Beckham.
?The other half will be completed later in the fall. The suites will be able to house an additional 158 students, which will more than double housing capacity. Suites at the northwest end of campus can house 144 students.
?Another change to campus will be the conversion of the Strode Activity Center parking lot into a central campus green with benches and other features.
?At the Strode, a new Wellness Center is being completed. Machines and other weightlifiting equipment were installed last week. The center is for athletic training, as well as for use by faculty, staff and students.
?Beckham and administrators such as athletic director Brian Spielbauer and admissions director Adam Jenkins are working to increase visibility of the school.
?"We're on the north side of town, so people might not regularly see what's going on," Beckham said.
?The Aberdeen campus isn't the only one changing. The PC site in Sioux Falls recently moved into a new facility.
? There are other changes as well. Longtime vice president for enrollment JoEllen Lindner resigned from her post in January to take a job as president of the Aberdeen Catholic School System.
?"Any time you lose someone at PC, especially someone with a lot of experience who has helped expand the institution, it's not easy to replace them," Beckham said.
?Jenkins joined the staff a few weeks ago to fill the admissions director position.
?"I was really impressed when I saw they were progressing in this way," Jenkins said of the college.
?Jenkins was previously the interim director of admissions at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He also worked at University of Mary.
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Friday, July 26, 2013
The Avengers and Campaign Finance | Law and the Multiverse
Thanks to Adam for alerting us to this article at The Daily Caller?comparing the effects of campaign finance laws on Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. ?The article is an opinion piece and definitely has an editorial slant that we at Law and the Multiverse express no opinion of our own about, but the legal analysis is great. ?We only wish we?d thought of it ourselves, actually.
This entry was posted in election law, Iron Man, movies. Bookmark the permalink.delmon young arrested the raven the raven zerg rush david wilson playstation all stars battle royale quinton coples
Dollar near five-week low, Japan stocks tumble
By Dominic Lau
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo shares fell sharply on Friday on the back of a stronger yen and the dollar languished at a five-week low against a basket of currencies as investors waited for clarity on U.S. stimulus at the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week.
A Wall Street Journal report that the Fed may debate changing its forward guidance to help ram home its message that it will keep interest rates low for a long time to come put the dollar on the back foot overnight.
But most economists and traders still expect the Fed could start tapering its monetary stimulus in September.
The dollar <.dxy> eased 0.4 percent against a basket of major currencies to be not far from a five-week low touched on Thursday, offering some support to gold and crude prices.
Against the yen, it was down 0.5 percent at a two-week low of 98.750 yen. The euro was steady at $1.32845, after gaining 0.6 percent overnight on the back of positive economic reports from the euro zone.
A gauge of planned U.S. business spending on capital goods rose in June, while new claims for jobless benefits edged higher last week but remained within a range that suggests the labor market's recovery is on track.
JAPAN CPI RISES
The firmer yen weighed on Tokyo's Nikkei share average <.n225>, which sagged 2.1 percent to a two-week low.
"We are seeing the yen strengthening," a Tokyo-based trader said. "There is also the summer fatigue. People are going on holiday and they are closing positions."
Japan's consumer prices rose in June for the first time in more than a year, a positive sign for the government's battle against deflation, but the rises centered on higher electricity bills rather than stronger demand that could drive a durable recovery.
"The rise in the CPI is mainly due to the weaker yen, which is raising import costs, so it's too early to be overly optimistic. But we can say that 'Abenomics' is very much in play," said Nobuhiko Kuramochi, strategist and economist at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo.
But Japanese companies' one-month earnings momentum slowed dramatically this month, to 1.1 percent from 10.1 percent in June, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, while that for MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index <.miapj0000pus> deteriorated further to minus 7.1 percent from minus 5 percent.
ASIAN SHARES IN DEMAND
The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index advanced 0.6 percent on Friday and Australian shares <.axjo> gained 0.4 percent.
Seoul shares <.ks11> inched up 0.2 percent. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd eased 0.7 percent after its April-June operating profit increased 47.5 percent to 9.5 trillion won ($8.5 billion), in line with its estimate.
In the commodity markets, Brent crude prices added 0.1 percent to just below $108 a barrel after gaining 0.4 percent overnight on the back of the weaker dollar.
Gold added 0.4 percent, extending a 0.9 percent rise in the previous session, also boosted by a weaker dollar.
Copper prices ticked down 0.1 percent but held above $7,000 a tonne. They had slipped 0.6 percent on Thursday, to snap a five-day winning run, on concerns that a slowing Chinese economy may dent demand from the world's top consumer.
(Additional reporting by Ian Chua in SYDNEY and Ayai Tomisawa in TOKYO; Editing by John Mair)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dollar-near-five-week-low-japan-stocks-tumble-004313246.html
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From now on, Motorola will be the only company that makes Droid-branded phones for Verizon says CNET
From now on, Motorola will be the only company that makes Droid-branded phones for Verizon says CNET. But of course that won't stop half the world from calling their Samsung and HTC Android phones Droids. Sigh.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/from-now-on-motorola-will-be-the-only-company-that-mak-890344478
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Thursday, July 25, 2013
Motorola is now Verizon?s sole provider of Droid devices
Verizon Motorola Droid Exclusivity DealSince Motorola?s first Droid smartphone really helped put Android on the map in the United States, it?s only fitting that Motorola will now be the exclusive provider of Droid-branded devices on Verizon?s network. CNET reports that Motorola and Verizon have reached an exclusivity deal where Motorola will be the only company that sells smartphones with Verizon?s trademark Droid brand, ending an era when Verizon would sell Droid smartphones from other vendors such as HTC. The deal with Verizon doesn?t affect Motorola?s plan to sell its upcoming Moto X flagship smartphone through multiple carriers, however, which explains why Motorola is having a separate event for the device on August 1st.
[More from BGR: Moto X leak may reveal Google?s plan to attack its own Android partners]
This article was originally published on BGR.com
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/motorola-now-verizon-sole-provider-droid-devices-003045778.html
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Wednesday, July 24, 2013
N.J. gay rights activists, national groups unite to pressure Christie, GOP
TRENTON ? Following an approach taken in states across the country, a coalition of local and national groups will descend on Asbury Park today to pressure Gov. Chris Christie and Republican lawmakers to clear the way for gay marriage.
Two grassroots organizations that have led the fight in New Jersey ? Garden State Equality and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey ? will be joined by national campaigns that have swooped into New York, Maryland, Delaware and other states to give same-sex marriage the final boost it needs to become law.
The national groups bring money, influence and big-name Republican donors like Paul Singer, the billionaire hedge fund manager who is an adviser to Christie.
"It brings the resources to bear of an entire national movement," Troy Stevenson, executive director of Garden State Equality, told The Star-Ledger. "We?ve fought hard in New Jersey. We?ve done a lot of amazing work. In any other state we would have won by now."
Same-sex marriage has been a thorny issue for Christie as he navigates a path to re-election in a state where the majority of residents support it while signaling to GOP primary voters that he?s conservative enough to be their candidate for president in 2016. Christie vetoed a same-sex marriage bill in 2012, saying he wanted the issue to be decided in a voter referendum.
Christie has said he believes people are born with their sexual preference, and that gay couples in New Jersey have all the rights and benefits of married couples through civil unions.
However, in a decision Christie criticized, the U.S. Supreme Court last month invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, saying that gay couples have been treated unequally.
Today, business owners, religious leaders and gay couples will make the case that same-sex marriage is a matter not only of civil rights but economic competitiveness.
"With striking down of DOMA, the inequality between New Jersey and our neighbors like New York and Delaware is now more pronounced than ever," said Udi Ofer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. "New Jersey?s civil unions system is now responsible for the denial of hundreds of benefits to same-sex couples here in New Jersey."
Advocates hope to legalize gay marriage through a pending court case or by overriding Christie?s veto. "We?ve only got until January to override this veto," said Stevenson. "As we promised last month, it?s through litigation or legislation that we?re going to get this done."
Five national groups have signed on to the campaign, including American United Fund, a nonprofit group founded by Singer as "the voice of Republican voters who are committed to equal rights and full relationship recognition for gay and lesbian Americans."
Singer, the only GOP donor invited to tour Israel with Christie, his family and a small group of staff last spring, started the fund with $1 million and gave $1 million to Freedom to Marry, a group founded by civil rights attorney Evan Wolfson, the New York Times has reported.
"The Republican Party is now able to allow principled conservative positions on marriage to coexist with the party," said Jeff Cook-McCormac, a senior adviser to American Unity Fund. "The governor has indicated that people should be free to vote their conscience and we expect that will be the case when legislators get a chance to look at this issue in the coming months."
Also participating in the New Jersey campaign are the Gill Action Fund, founded in 2005 by philanthropist and entrepreneur Tim Gill, the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal.
Ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court decision, more than 100 Republicans signed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the suit that struck down California?s ballot initiative barring same-sex marriage.
Former Gov. Christie Whitman is on the list, as is Meg Whitman, the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, for whom Christie campaigned when she ran for governor of California; and Beth Myers, who vetted possible vice presidential picks such as Christie for Mitt Romney?s 2012 campaign.
Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, which opposes gay marriage and supports Christie?s call for a referendum, has said civil unions are sufficient.
Gay marriage is legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia.
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MSNBC Cave Dweller Martin Bashir Says Hoopla Around Birth Of Royal Baby Proof GOP Economic Policies Don?t Work?
Huh?
Via NRO?s Andrew Johnson:
? Bashir even linked those woes to the Republicans in the U.S., arguing that the economic policies espoused by GOP congressmen Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy have been applied in the UK, resulting in high unemployment rates and low economic growth. ?Part of the fascination with the royal baby has been because people have been so depressed by the economic circumstances in the United Kingdom that they?ve been looking up for some light relief,? Bashir said minutes after the birth was announced.
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Detroit Mayor Has Little Power Left
July 23, 2013
"Under Michigan's law for cities teetering on the edge of collapse, which provides broad powers to emergency managers," Detroit Mayor Dave Bing "finds himself in a rare and somewhat perplexing position -- still the mayor, but with no say on his city's biggest choices," the New York Times reports.
Source: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2013/07/23/detroit_mayor_has_little_power_left.html
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Ninety-four illegal immigrants held in Mexico, including 19 Asians
By Luc Cohen
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico detained 94 illegal immigrants, including 19 from the Indian subcontinent, packed into a truck bound for the U.S. border, authorities said on Tuesday.
Among the people found near the southern city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, capital of Chiapas state, were 10 Nepalese and nine Bangladeshis trying to reach the United States, officials said.
Apprehensions of Asians immigrating illegally to the United States have increased sharply in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Authorities said the migrants were traveling in inhumane conditions. The driver of the vehicle, who was from central Mexico, was arrested on human trafficking charges.
The truck set out from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and police detected the migrants with an x-ray at a checkpoint outside Tuxtla Gutierrez after midnight on Monday. The migrants were on their way to the United States, state prosecutors said.
Several of the migrants were treated for hand and leg injuries, and some struggled to breathe due to the "overcrowded conditions" on the truck, Mexico's National Migration Institute said.
"It's a long journey and they intended to travel to the United States like that, literally hidden," said Hector Flores, a spokesman for the Chiapas state prosecutor's office. "Obviously, those are not optimal conditions for human beings."
The non-Asian migrants were from the Central American nations of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
The entire group, which included seven minors, is likely to face deportation proceedings.
Between 2007 and 2011, the most recent year for which statistics were available, the number of Indian nationals apprehended by U.S. authorities jumped from less than 1,000 annually to nearly 4,000. The numbers of Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Sri Lankan migrants detained have also increased.
The Central Americans were charged between $4,000 and $5,000 for the journey, while the Asian migrants had to pay between $6,000 and $8,000, according to the National Migration Institute.
An Indian national was among a group of 165 migrants rescued by Mexican troops in June, after being kidnapped near the U.S. border and held in the state of Tamaulipas.
(Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Dave Graham and Stacey Joyce)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ninety-four-illegal-immigrants-held-mexico-including-19-004306353.html
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Cabrera injured, Scherzer beats White Sox 7-3
CHICAGO (AP) ? Max Scherzer went right back to winning. Miguel Cabrera walked off the field.
Scherzer outpitched Chris Sale in a marquee matchup of All-Star starters to earn his 14th victory, and the Tigers overcame Cabrera's injury to beat the Chicago White Sox 7-3 on Monday night.
With one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, Cabrera was replaced at third base by Don Kelly. The 2012 AL MVP, who appeared to be holding his left side as he headed to the dugout, was removed with a sore hip flexor muscle and will be evaluated Tuesday.
Detroit manager Jim Leyland said the Tigers are going to "wait and see" on Cabrera's condition.
"You know what? If he's got to miss a few games, he's got to miss a few games, and we find out how tough we are," Leyland said.
Cabrera, who became baseball's first Triple Crown winner in 45 years last season, has played in 97 of Detroit's 98 games this year. He began the day leading the AL with a .359 batting average and 96 RBIs.
After scoring from second in the top of the fifth on Victor Martinez's single, Cabrera tried to loosen up his side. He wasn't able to do it, so he left the game.
"It (felt) weird," Cabrera said.
Without Cabrera, the Tigers still had more than enough to beat Chicago, which gave up five unearned runs.
Scherzer (14-1) won his first 13 decisions before losing his last outing before he started the All-Star game for the American League last Tuesday night at Citi Field. He went eight innings Monday and allowed four hits while striking out five.
The right-hander, who didn't allow a baserunner until Adam Dunn's single with one out in the fifth, increased his strikeout total to 157. The only two runs Scherzer gave up came on solo homers by Dayan Viciedo and Conor Gillaspie.
Scherzer also knew what kind of challenge he faced in Sale.
"You know every time when Sale's on the mound, he's one of the best. You've got to bring your A game if you're going to have a chance," Scherzer said. "Tonight I thought I pitched the ball very well, but I also could have lost. At the same time, my teammates had a good idea of what they wanted to do."
Martinez had four hits to raise his July average to .425 and Torii Hunter homered in the seventh for Detroit, which improved to 43-9 when scoring five or more runs.
That offense, though, might not be the same if Cabrera is out for a little while.
"If Miggy comes out of a game he's definitely in pain, but Miggy's one of those guys, he's tough. He won't be out long," Hunter said. "I definitely think if you need to rest him a little bit, a couple days, I guess we have to do that. We need him for the long run. If it takes a couple days for him to get where he needs to be, I think we should do it."
Even with Sale pitching, the White Sox were far from where they needed to be Monday.
Sale followed Scherzer to the mound in the All-Star game and worked two scoreless innings. This time, the left-hander pitched eight innings and gave up four runs ? two earned. He yielded seven hits while striking out 11.
Sale (6-9) has struck out at least 10 five times this season.
The Tigers scored two unearned runs in the fifth to make it 3-0 when Martinez singled with two outs, bringing in Hernan Perez and Cabrera. Perez led off the inning with a routine grounder to shortstop, but Alexei Ramirez misplayed it for the first of his two errors.
After retiring Austin Jackson and Hunter, Sale walked Cabrera intentionally and then Fielder to load the bases for Martinez. Sale was visibly upset with the decision to walk Cabrera.
"I like people to earn their way on base," Sale said. "That's about it."
Chicago, which was trying to win three straight games for the first time since June 8-10, fell to 11-20 against AL Central teams. The White Sox allowed five unearned runs and made three more errors to reach 64 after committing 70 last year.
"It's going to happen every once in a while," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You hope this one, even in the second half, is one of those every-once-in-a-whiles."
NOTES: Leyland said it "might be wishful thinking" that Detroit 2B Omar Infante (left ankle) could be back by the weekend. Infante has been on the disabled list since July 4. ... Paul Konerko, activated from the 15-day DL following a lower back strain, was the White Sox designated hitter and went 0 for 3 in his first game since July 2. ... White Sox RHP Jake Peavy said the trade speculation surrounding him "is not something that consumes any bit of my thought process." Peavy does not have trade protection in the two-year contract he signed this offseason. ... Tuesday's pitching matchup is Detroit's Rick Porcello (6-6, 4.80 ERA) against Chicago's Hector Santiago (3-5, 3.30).
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cabrera-injured-scherzer-beats-white-sox-7-3-031948235.html
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Weakness in boys toy business hurts Hasbro second-quarter
(Reuters) - Hasbro Inc
The company, home to brands such as G.I. Joe, Nerf and Mr. Potato Head, said its second-quarter net profit fell to $36.5 million, or 28 cents a share, from $43.4 million, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier.
Excluding a pension charge, it earned 29 cents a share, missing the analysts' average estimate of 34 cents a share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
(Reporting By Dhanya Skariachan; Editing by Alden Bentley)
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hasbro-quarterly-profit-sales-miss-analyst-estimates-104748075.html
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Monday, July 22, 2013
A new non-invasive breath test developed in Israel can help manage gastrointesti...
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Venezuela president said constitutional reforms would protect private property rights
? JURIST Legal News and Research Services, Inc., 2013. JURIST is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. E-mail inquiries, changes, news tips, URLs, corrections, etc. to JURIST@jurist.org. This site is not an official site of the University of Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh is not responsible for its content. Nothing on this site is intended as legal advice. If you have a legal problem, please consult an attorney.
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Daimler union workers end strike
kgw.com
Posted on July 22, 2013 at 1:29 PM
PORTLAND ? Workers at Daimler?s Portland truck plant ended their three-week-long strike after negotiating new wage and labor terms Monday.
All of the plant?s 725 machinists and painters working on Swan Island went on strike after rejecting a contract on July 2. Employees said they deserved higher raises after four years of wage freezes, according to a spokesman for the workers.
The new terms included a wage increase of $1.55 per hour over 40 months. Workers will return to work Tuesday morning.
The Daimler Trucks North America plant on Swan Island makes up to 30 Western Star trucks a day.
Background: Daimler machinists, painters go on strike
Source: http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Daimler-union-workers-end-strike-216486491.html
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Singapore appoints new diplomats to India UN ASEAN Cambodia - Channel News Asia
Sam Rainsy, center, president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, gives a speech during an election campaign rally at Kampong Speu province, west of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, July 20, 2013. A gunman fired a shot early Saturday into one of the main offices of the party, a day after the exiled leader of the opposition returned home to an exuberant welcome by supporters ahead of this ...
Cambodian sevens team set for Asian School Boys championship - South China Morning Post
Children who used to eke out a living scavenging on the rubbish dumps of Phnom Penh will be among the 12-strong Cambodian team taking part in the inaugural Asian School Boys Rugby Sevens Championship at King's Park in Ho Man Tin today. "We have eight players who come from the poorest of the poor people of Cambodia. They used to spend time on the rubbish dumps trying to forage for ...
Sure win doesnt change mandate for reform
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to the press after engineering a pardon for his most prominent rival, Sam Rainsy, clearing the way for the self-exiled politician to return home last week. While the outcome seems assured, there are still expectations that next Sunday's election - the fifth since 1993 - will be a milestone in developing the relatively young democratic values and ...
Cambodian opposition leader warns of ?sham? election
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's newly returned opposition leader has denounced political intimidation and warned that this month's election will be a 'sham' unless he is allowed to stand as a candidate.Sam Rainsy, who was greeted by huge crowds on Friday after his return from self-imposed exile in France, is seen as the main challenger to strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen.But he has ...
Cambodian opposition denounces intimidation - Channel News Asia
ambodia's opposition on Saturday condemned political "intimidation" ahead of elections, after a gunman fired a shot at the party's ...
Sam Rainsy warns of sham vote
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's newly returned opposition leader has denounced political intimidation and warned that this month's election will be a "sham" unless he is allowed to stand as a ...
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy returns to Cambodia - BBC ?????
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also use cookies to ensure we show you advertising that is relevant to you. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the BBC website. However, if you would like to, you ...
Veneer of democracy in Cambodia
By Sebastian Strangio PHNOM PENH - After nearly four years on the political margins, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy will again take center stage when he returns to his homeland on Friday in advance of national elections on July 28. The president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has been living in France to avoid an 11-year jail term for defamation and other charges ...
Cambodian Opposition Leader Begins Campaign
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has begun campaigning for his party ahead of elections, just one day after returning to his homeland from four years of self-imposed exile in ...
Fire safety standards in Cambodian garment factories are worse than what they ... - Quartz
bi-annual report (pdf) from the International Labor Organization-sponsored Better Factoriesprogram reveals a disturbing decline in working conditions in Cambodia?s garment factories. In the November 2012-April 2013 period, Better Factories found that the compliance to fire safety and worker health regulations were lower than what they were seven years ago. Of the 155 factories assessed, ...
Source: http://www.thecambodianews.net/index.php/sid/215965729/scat/c7e1014a94f7e43b
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Who's going to die on 'True Blood'?
TV 
8 hours ago
John P. Johnson / HBO
Pam, Lafayette and Sookie on "True Blood."
Get your hankies ready, Truebies! It's almost time to say so long to one familiar face from Bon Temps. But who?
That's been the question all season on "True Blood." In fact, thanks to a tease about the upcoming end for one "central character" from showrunner Brian Buckner back in early June, fans started guessing ? and fretting ? before the season even began.
And one thing is clear after last week's action on the show: The end is nigh! The True Death could come as soon as Sunday night, and the list of candidates is a long one.
When last we left the drama, Lafayette was possessed by the spirit of Sookie's murderous dad, and he had the heroine face down in a lake. Of course, it's hard to image that Sookie really has anything to worry about. In addition to escaping near-death capers on a regular basis, the friendly half-fae is the heart of the whole show.
If only Lafayette's fate seemed as certain. The problem for Sookie's devoted pal is that while her dad is in the driver's seat where the medium's actions are concerned, anyone who wants to stop Papa Stackhouse ? such as, for instance, a certain devoted, betrothed-by-contract, fairy-vamp hybrid named Warlow ? is going to have to stop LaLa first. (Noooooo!)
Of course, there are others in danger too.
Bill and Jessica need to watch their backs. After Jess accidentally offed three-fourths of Andy's brood while helping Bill with his Tru Fae Blood experiment, the sheriff is fighting mad. At least Jessica's safely ? well, not too safely ? locked away at Vamp Camp. But Bill's still roaming around. Then again, unless Andy lures the big, bad demi-god into the sun, he'd be hard pressed to figure out a way to kill Billith at all.
Here's hoping it's not Andy who dies in an attempt to avenge his girls! Then again, he seems far safer than the other Bellefleur in town ? Terry. Last week, the increasingly troubled vet actually hired a hit on himself (but his old war bud offered to do the deed for free).
Maybe the mercenary won't follow through. Otherwise, who would take care of Arlene and the kids ... and Felix, the armadillo?
Terry's boss is also in danger. Sam's been on the lam with Emma ever since he took the tiny wolf, and now there's an angry pack master hot on his heels. Alcide, who barely resembles the good guy he used to be, is close to closing in on the shifter, and if he corners him, it's likely enough that only one of them will survive. (Shift big, Sam!)
And then there are the other two possibilities: Eric and acid-tongued progeny, Pam.
Pam spent her first day at Vamp Camp spilling her emotions ? or lack thereof ? to a psychologist. She made it plain she didn't feel anything for her maker. The psychologist didn't believe her (nor did viewers who know better).
Now Pam's in a scenario wherein she can prove how she really feels. She's trapped face-to-face and stake-to-stake with Eric in one of those Vamp Camp Thunderdome rooms ? two enter, only one leaves alive. At least that's the idea.
Eric just can't die. (Can he?!) It's not like 1,000-year-old, easy-on-the-eyes Viking vampires just come along every day. But he can't kill Pam either. He may be a killer, but he's also a loyal to those he loves.
And Pam? It doesn't matter what she says ? she's just as loyal to the man who gave her a second life. Which is why she just might go and do something stupid (and kind and heroic).
She won't kill Eric. He won't kill her. What's a gal to do? Turn that stake on herself? (Nooooooo!)
Alas, someone has to die ? soon.
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Sunday, July 21, 2013
President's comments hit close to home for Houstonians
khou.com
Posted on July 19, 2013 at 9:55 PM
Updated yesterday at 10:00 PM
Houston -- President Obama?s comments Friday hit close to home for some Houston area professionals.
?As an African-American growing up in this country, there are certain experiences that we have,? said attorney Michael Harris. ?And I think that is what he was identifying with.?
The President delivered an impromptu and deeply personal press conference where he discussed his experiences with racism.
It came as the nation reels from the outcome of the George Zimmerman trial.
?There are very few African-American men in this country who haven?t had the experience of being followed when they are shopping at a department store,? President Obama said. ?And that includes me.?
Houstonians have similar stories.
?I?ve been profiled before,? attorney Edward Pollard said. ?I?ve gone in stores and felt like I was watched.?
And though many feel the Trayvon Martin case was polarizing, they believe what the President said was not.
?I didn?t see the President taking a side rather than challenging the law itself, the stand your ground law, the concept of the stand your ground law,? Harris said.
Many were also grateful to see race so openly discussed.
?I think intelligent people should be able to openly communicate without anger and express their beliefs,? said financial planner Donnell Carter.
Yet there is still concern over the tone of some recent demonstrations.
?I do not agree with a lot of the different protests that have been going on,? Pollard said. ?I do feel that because of them it will cause more of a divide in our country.?
He said he would prefer that people in America ?take the elephant out of the room? and ?be real with each other.?
Like many, he felt a humanity in the President?s words and he hopes it will lead to a new and better dialogue.
Source: http://www.khou.com/news/local/Houstonians-say-Presidents-comments-hit-close-to-home-216222961.html
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Saturday, July 20, 2013
Friday Newspaper Review - - Irish Business and International News ...
| Last Updated: Jul 19, 2013 - 12:00 PM |
Irish Independent
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny says the State's justice authorities are right to take their time in pursuing prosecutions against bankers.
Mr Kenny said people were angry and frustrated about the lack of cases in court to date, before adding: "It's absolutely critical that they get it right."
The Taoiseach also said he wanted the planned banking inquiry to cover the last 10 years.
Mr Kenny said the public were "frustrated" with the delay in prosecutions, but he wasn't being critical of the handling of the process by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
"I think there is always a wariness about rushing into something here. If you make a wrong statement, a wrong comment, prejudice a case and whatever else, and particularly cases like this, where they are very technical and very complex, it's absolutely critical that they get it right," he said.GOVERNMENT spending and debt levels both jumped in the first months of 2013 to levels well in excess of annual troika targets.
If these figures are not reduced over the rest of the year, Ireland will have failed to meet the targets required by the EU and IMF, in the same year that it attempts to leave the bailout programme.
The State spent ?5.84bn more than it earned between January and March, hit by payments related to the liquidation of bad bank IBRC as well as interest paid out on the country's loans.
This resulted in a quarterly budget deficit amounting to 13.8pc of gross domestic product (GDP). The troika requires Ireland to reduce this to 7.4pc over the whole of 2013.
Dell postponed a shareholder vote on CEO Michael Dell's $24.4bn (?18.6bn) buyout offer, after he won 11th-hour backing from several large investors but still fell short of enough votes to seal the deal.
The meeting was called yesterday and then adjourned minutes later, after shareholders gathered at Dell's headquarters in Texas.
Postponement of the vote until Wednesday buys time for Dell, the company's co-founder and chief executive, to win over naysayers for a deal that could be the largest buyout since the financial crisis.
Complicating matters, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who has amassed an 8.7pc stake in Dell, is leading a charge with major shareholder Southeastern Asset Management against the buyout with an offer of his own. He and others say Michael Dell's deal undervalues the world's No. 3 personal computer maker.
DRUG manufacturer Eli Lilly, which employs more than 700 people in Ireland, will freeze workers' pay next year.
The company is attempting to save $400m (?306m) over the next two years as patents expire on some of its most important drugs and generic competition hurts its sales.
The pay freeze will affect most of the company's 38,000 workers around the world, including executives.
Bonuses based on 2014 performance will also be reduced. Employees will only become eligible for pay increases in 2015.
''This action is necessary to withstand the impact of upcoming patent expirations and to support the launch of our large phase III pipeline,'' chief executive officer John Lechleiter told employees.
Irish Times
Ireland?s national debt rose by ?18.5 billion in 2012 to a record ?137.6 billion, according to figures published yesterday by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA).
The bill for servicing Ireland?s national debt also rose by just under ?1.1 billion to ?6.5 billion last year.
The biggest component in the increase in our national debt last year was ?14.9 billion borrowed to fund the exchequer deficit. This was used to pay the day-to-day bills of the State.
There was also a ?3 billion instalment relating to the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation?s promissory note. This is no longer payable following an agreement this year with the EU.
The family of bankrupt businessman Se?n Quinn intend to sue the Department of Finance and the Central Bank over alleged conspiring with Anglo Irish Bank in advancing ?2.34 billion unlawful loans to Quinn companies.
The move means the actions of the regulators relating to the loans will now be subject to scrutiny by the courts.
Patricia Quinn and her five children yesterday withdrew their application to join the Department and Central Bank, in their capacity as regulators, as co-defendants in their action against Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, formerly Anglo, denying liability for the loans.
Mr Justice Peter Kelly was told the Quinns will now issue separate proceedings against the Department and Central Bank and will apply to the Commercial Court to have that case fast-tracked.
An Anglo Irish Bank report on the huge stake built up in it by Se?n Quinn claims the financial regulator was told by Anglo in September 2007 about that stake, was regularly updated on the bank?s efforts during 2008 to dilute it and had put pressure on the bank to do so.
The January 2009 report, referred to as the ?O?Connor Report? and written by former Anglo executive Pat Whelan, also describes as ?an error of judgment? a decision by some within the bank to alter recourse provisions on loans made to 10 of the bank?s best customers (the Maple Ten) as part of Anglo?s efforts to dilute Mr Quinn?s contract for difference positions in Anglo.
The report is among various documents relied on by the Quinn family to support their claims the regulatory authorities were aware Anglo was advancing unlawful loans to Quinn companies from late 2007 to prop up its share price.
It refers regularly to advancing ?working capital facilities? to Mr Quinn.
International distribution and business support services group DCC said trading was ahead of expectations in the first quarter, giving the firm a strong start to its financial year.
The company increased its guidance for the year to March 31st 2014, estimating operating profit would grow 15 per cent year on year, up from previous estimates of 10 to 12 per cent.
In an interim management statement this morning, DCC said its energy division, the largest in the group, had traded ?significantly ahead? of last year, as colder weather and acquisitions combined with organic volume growth to lift DCC Energy. Revenue at DCC Sercom was also outperforming year-ago figures as strong sales growth in IT and communications products continued.
Irish Examiner
The Government has paid a firm of consultants almost ?570,000 to date for advice on the awarding of the new National Lottery licence.
The sale of the licence is expected to generate between ?300m and ?400m in revenue for the State.
In a written D?il reply, Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin confirmed Davy Corporate Finance has received ?568,875 for providing financial and commercial advice in relation to the award.
It has emerged in response to parliamentary questions from Labour?s Kevin Humphreys that safety deposit boxes sitting in the former Anglo Irish vaults have yet to be claimed.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan said they were working to try and establish to whom the boxes belonged.
?I have been advised by the special liquidators that there were 24 safety deposit boxes in use when the special liquidators were appointed to IBRC. The special liquidators are currently reconciling the safety deposit boxes to determine ownership.?
The special liquidator, KPMG, declined to comment on the safety deposit boxes or what it was doing to track down the rightful owners.?
Europe
Presseurop: Every politician should read Hegel's two-century-old "The Phenomenology of Spirit" to understand the euro crisis. He wrote that prosperity is not the answer to everything, and that citizens also seek recognition in democracy, according to a Dutch journalist.
Sebastien Valkenberg, who is a philosopher and freelance journalist and in the Dutch daily Trouw he writes: Probably no book has been so frequently accused of being unreadable. Nevertheless, The Phenomenology of Spirit by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) has just been translated into Dutch.
Although a hard read, this classic of philosophy (published in 1807) can help us understand the ongoing euro crisis. The book suggests that politicians will always fail while they continue to think of the crisis as an exclusively economic problem.
The reaction of Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, to Britain's plan to hold a referendum about its EU membership is illustrative in this respect. A bad plan, according to Schulz. "Cameron's Europe ? la carte is not an option. We must focus on jobs and growth, not on endless discussions about European treaties."
The EU as the bringer of prosperity. It is a view which is broadly shared among policymakers, in the Netherlands by social leaders like Prime Minister [Mark] Rutte, but also by the chairman of business organisation VNO-NCW, Bernard Wientjes. "Two-thirds of the Netherlands' exports go to Europe," he recently told news station BNR Nieuwsradio. "A million and a half jobs depend on Europe. We earn ?180bn because of Europe. Europe and the euro are the backbone of the Dutch economy."
Euro Topics: Shortly before his visit to Athens today, Thursday, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Sch?uble expressed his approval of Greece's economic development. But in the eyes of the commentators, he is only trying to calm his fellow Germans in the run-up to the federal elections this autumn, after which further billions will be heading for the Greek capital.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Sch?uble's purportedly conciliatory visit to Greece is deceptive, because the real trench warfare over the euro crisis is yet to come, the left-liberal German daily S?ddeutsche Zeitung warns: "From September on, fundamental repair work needs to be carried out on the monetary union, and the North will have to supply billions of euros to patch it together. Straight after the German parliamentary elections Eurozone politicians will have to make a decision on Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Slovenia. ? Greece remains the largest source of danger in the Eurozone. Normally in September, but because of the federal elections a couple of weeks later, the euro countries will have to fork out a few billion euros extra to persuade the IMF to jump on board and help out. And the big count-up will come at the very latest in April 2014. What happens after that is pure speculation. ... But we can already say with a certain degree of certainty that the single currency will only survive if the next German government makes further concessions. And not just financial ones but fundamental ones too."
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary threatened on Wednesday to axe flights to Brussels South Charleroi airport if the Wallonian region went ahead with plans to raise taxes by three euros per air traveller as announced. Threats and blackmail have become O'Leary's trademark, criticises the left-liberal Belgian daily De Morgen: "He throws his weight about every time an airport announces a rate increase or plans to reduce its support of Ryanair. Then he leaves, or at least threatens to leave. O'Leary is the prototype of the businessman who'd rather not pay any taxes at all but is more than happy to cash in on state subsidies. ... Ironically this strategy works in the increasingly global and more united Europe. Because the various regions compete with one another. One passenger less for Charleroi is one more for Maastricht. By using blackmail to play the (local) governments off against one another, he has won all his battles so far."
Locking a sculpture of former dictator Francisco Franco in a refrigerator is art, not a crime, a court in Madrid ruled on Wednesday, rejecting a lawsuit brought by the Franco Foundation against the sculptor Eugenio Merino, who presented his work 'Always Franco' at the Arco art exhibition in 2012. Such a lawsuit would never have been brought in other countries, the left-liberal Spanish daily El Pa?s observes: "Unlike in authoritarian regimes like Franco's, where there were no freedoms, freedom of expression is a fundamental right in democracy. It's difficult to imagine the existence of an Adolf Hitler Foundation in Germany that would dare to sue a work of art for questioning National Socialism. But in Spain Francoism hasn't yet been assessed by history as National Socialism has in Germany. And this is why his heirs have been bold enough to try and sue the artist."
German rapper Bushido's new song "Stress ohne Grund" ("Aggro without a cause") will be restricted to adult sales only as of next Monday, after the German Review Board for Media Harmful to Young Persons ruled that it incites violence and discriminates against women and homosexuals. This is a hopeless step in the Internet era, comments the Christian-conservative Austrian daily Salzburger Nachrichten: "Sexism and glorification of violence are admittedly a stylistic device in Bushido's branch of gangsta rap. ... But as the lives of many a Hip-hop star attest ... sometimes fantasy and reality cannot be separated. Young consumers can hardly be expected to distinguish between affected posing and actual threats. The decision of the authorities is certainly justified but it belongs to another age: 1.2 million users watched the video online on the first day of its release. What can a ban on music sales to young people achieve when this audience seldom buys music at all any more, but consumes it over countless new online channels?"
Check out our subscription service, Finfacts Premium , at a low annual charge of ?25.
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Source: http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1026308.shtml
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Florida lawmakers urge overhaul of 'Stand Your Ground' law
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (Reuters) - Florida must either repeal its "Stand Your Ground" self-defense law or enact sweeping changes to avert more tragedies like the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, Democratic leaders of the state's legislature said on Thursday.
A Seminole County jury on Saturday acquitted George Zimmerman of second-degree murder and manslaughter, with one juror citing Stand Your Ground as a factor in reaching her legal conclusion that Zimmerman, who is white and Hispanic, acted in self-defense.
The Zimmerman verdict demonstrated the ramifications of the 2005 law, Florida Senate Democratic leader Chris Smith said.
"This bill actually encourages people to shoot their way out of situations and that's not how we live in a civilized society," Smith told a news conference. "It's a mentality that has permeated the state of Florida. It's a mentality of shoot first, and we should not have that in a civilized society."
Smith was joined by Florida House Democratic leader Perry Thurston. Both called for a special session of the state's Republican-dominated legislature to overhaul the law or consider doing away with it.
Unless Florida lawmakers act quickly, calls for a boycott of the state like the one voiced by Motown legend Stevie Wonder are likely to grow as part of a mounting backlash, they warned. Civil rights groups also are calling for changes in the law.
With the state legislature in recess, Republican Governor Rick Scott would need to convene a special legislative session.
Dozens of young demonstrators have been occupying part of Scott's office in the Florida capital, Tallahassee, since Tuesday to press demands that he order the state's lawmakers back to work to toss out or modify the law.
Scott said he met with leaders of the sit-in demonstration for the first time on Thursday night, but he indicated he had no plans to call a special session.
The governor stressed, however, that the demonstrators had a "right to share their views with their state legislators and let them know their opinions on the law."
BALLOT INITIATIVE
Smith and other lawmakers tried to get the Stand Your Ground law changed in the past legislative session in Tallahassee but failed to get a committee hearing on the issue.
After the Martin shooting, Scott appointed a task force to examine the statute. The task force held seven hearings around the state before recommending to keep the law despite many calls for it to be repealed or amended.
"Tonight, the protesters again asked that I call a special session of the legislature to repeal Florida's Stand Your Ground law. I told them that I agree with the Task Force on Citizen Safety, which concurred with the law," Scott said in a statement.
Smith and Thurston said a ballot initiative was likely if the legislature failed to change the law, voicing confidence that public outrage over the verdict would help generate enough signatures to place the matter on the ballot.
According to the instructions given to the jury, Zimmerman had "no duty to retreat and had the right to stand his ground and meet force with force" if he reasonably feared for his life or great bodily harm.
Though the Stand Your Ground law was not specifically cited as part of the defense mounted by Zimmerman's lawyers, Smith said the jury instructions that helped pave the way for his acquittal came directly from the statute.
Smith and Thurston were joined at their news conference by Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz, who said he and other law enforcement officials supported calls for an urgent overhaul of the Stand Your Ground law.
"I think putting in the statute that you do not have the duty to retreat is a mistake. I think life is precious and before you do that you should do everything in your power not to do that and to retreat if you possibly can," Satz said.
"Before there was a common law duty that you had to retreat before you used deadly force," he added. "I just don't think you need the Stand Your Ground statute."
The Florida statute was adopted under former Republican Governor Jeb Bush. Many other states, acting with broad support from the National Rifle Association, have followed Florida's lead over the last seven years.
(Reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by Daniel Trotta, Matthew Lewis and Eric Beech)
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Witnesses: Woman falls to her death from Texas roller coaster
People say they looked on in horror as a woman fell to her death at Six Flags over Texas Friday. The woman was riding "The Texas Giant," one of the largest and most popular roller coasters in the country. NBC's Veronica De La Cruz reports.
By M. Alex Johnson, Staff Writer, NBC News
A woman died Friday at Six Flags Over Texas near Dallas while riding the world's steepest wooden roller coaster, the park confirmed Friday night.
NBCDFW.com
Six Flags Over Texas bills the Texas Giant as the world's steepest wooden roller coaster.
The Texas Giant, a 14-story-high, 4,900-feet-long roller coaster that is among the premiere attractions at the park in Arlington, Texas, was closed, the park said in a statement.
The park said in its statement that the woman died "on" the ride, but park visitors?told NBC 5 of Dallas that they saw her fall from the roller coaster shortly after 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET).
They said workers on the ride directed paramedics to her location.
Nadine Kelley, who had been waiting in line for the ride, told NBC 5 of Dallas that riders who were sitting behind the woman said that "right when they came down off the first bump and hit that first turn, she flew out."
The woman was accompanied by two children, who were "hysterical," Kelley said. "They were saying that their mother flew out of the car."
"It was sad. It was very sad," she said. "We kept telling them to let them out because they were hysterical. The daughter and the son said, 'We have to go get my mom. We have to go get my mom.' We were kind of in disbelief, and we just said a prayer for her."
In a statement released Saturday, a park spokeswoman said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
"We are committed to determining the cause of this tragic accident and will utilize every resource throughout this process," Sharon Parker said in a statement. "It would be a disservice to the family to speculate regarding what transpired. When we have new information to provide, we will do so. Our thoughts, prayers and full support remain with the family."
More coverage of this story at NBCDFW.com
Carmen Brown, of Arlington, told the Dallas Morning News that she had been waiting in line as the victim got on the ride.
She said the woman told a park employee that she thought she was not properly secured in her seat.
?He was, like, ?As long as you heard it click, you?re fine,?? Brown told the paper.
She also said the woman had fallen from the ride. ?We heard her screaming. We were, like, ?Did she just fall???
The park sent a tweet announcing the closing Friday night:
Twitter.com
The identity of the woman was not immediately reported.
Arlington police didn't immediately respond to a request for more information.?
The Texas Giant opened in 1990 and underwent a $10 million renovation two years ago, adding a steel track to the wooden roller coaster and making the ride higher and faster.
It's the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world, the park says on its website, and has a record bank of 95 degrees.
In another incident Friday, seven people were injured at the Cedar Park amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, when their boat on the Shoot the Rapids thrill ride rolled backward down a hill and overturned, officials said.
Watch US News videos on NBCNews.com
This story was originally published on Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:28 PM EDT
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Friday, July 19, 2013
10 Jobs Employers Can't Fill
The great skills gap mystery continues. Despite millions of workers still looking for jobs, there are a wide variety of positions employers just can't seem to fill, new research shows.
A study by CareerBuilder revealed that more than a third of hiring managers currently have positions that have remained open for at least 12 weeks.
"Although the recession created an abundant pool of readily available, unemployed talent that still exists today, employers are struggling to find new employees for technology-related occupations, sales, health care and a variety of other areas," said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America.
[The Happiest Jobs in America]
Specifically, the toughest jobs to find qualified employees for right now are:
- Sales representative
- Machine operator/assembler/production worker
- Nurse
- Truck driver
- Software developer
- Engineer
- Marketing professional
- Accountant
- Mechanic
- IT manager/network administrator
As a way to ensure they always have a stockpile of qualified candidates for all their positions, regardless of whether one is open or not, more than 40 percent of those companies surveyed recruit throughout the year.
"The skills gapthat exists for high-growth, specialized occupations will become even more pronounced in the years to come, prompting the need to place a greater emphasis on reskilling workers through formal education and on-the-job training," Rasmussen said.
The study was based on surveys of more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals, as well as job growth data provided by Economic Modeling Specialists.
Follow Chad Brooks on Twitter @cbrooks76 or BusinessNewsDaily @BNDarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+. This story originally published on BusinessNewsDaily.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Source: http://news.yahoo.com/10-jobs-employers-cant-fill-111953358.html
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Falling rupee puts pressure on RBI at $2 billion debt sale
MUMBAI |
MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee was close to losing all gains made since the RBI launched a defence of the currency by squeezing liquidity and raising short term rates, putting pressure on the bank to accept paying higher yields at its $2 billion debt sale later on Thursday.
The Reserve Bank of India is due to sell 120 billion rupees via open market operations as part of its three-prong plan unveiled late on Monday to drain cash from the market to support the rupee, which has lost nearly 10 percent against the dollar since the start of May.
The RBI's measures sent bond yields surging, raising the risk that Thursday's debt sale will result in a stand-off between the RBI and investors unwilling to meet its price expectations.
"What is important is the yield at which it is being offered. While RBI has not disclosed, where the demand is, it is obviously clear that it is higher than what the RBI may have offered," said Jyotheesh Kumar, executive vice president at HDFC Securities in an email to clients on Thursday.
"Friends, rates are headed higher... don't let the spin doctors of the government hypnotise you to think that the higher rates are only temporary," Kumar added.
If the sale falls short, the central bank may need to resort to other measures to drain rupee liquidity to deter speculators against the currency, further raising concerns about damage to an economy growing at a decade low of 5 percent.
An official familiar with the RBI's thinking said the central bank acknowledged that it would be tricky balancing objectives to achieve a successful result in the debt sale, to be conducted through an open market operation.
"These are two different objectives. The measures were monetary management, which were aimed at curbing liquidity. While debt management is about raising debt cost-effectively," the official told Reuters, declining to be identified.
"The OMO will be a monetary management exercise which is different from debt management objective," the official said.
OMOs are bond purchases or sales by the central bank from its own stock to add or drain cash and do not have cost implications for the government, giving the RBI more leeway on pricing.
At weekly bond auctions conducted on behalf of the government, however, the RBI would be more mindful of paying too much interest. On Wednesday, it rejected all bids in a $2 billion sale of Treasury bills on behalf of the government.
Monday's unexpected measures by the RBI prompted some economists to cut their economic growth forecasts and drew warnings that it may backfire by scaring off foreign investment.
"The (RBI's) unexpected monetary tightening may well stabilise the rupee in coming weeks, but could prove very negative for public finances and the economy," Credit Agricole said in a note dated Wednesday.
"Crucially, it does not address the underlying issue of India's external imbalance. It has made India less attractive to foreign investors and may reduce the portfolio inflows needed to plug the (current account) gap."
Meanwhile, the hike in short-term interest has virtually shut down the market in commercial bonds and short-term bonds used through which companies and banks raise short-term funds.
The rupee traded on Thursday at 59.75/76, not far from its close of 59.89/90 on Monday before the RBI's measures.
Bond yields have surged, with the 10-year benchmark bond up 51 basis points since Monday, while the Nifty has fallen 0.8 percent since then. Foreign investors have also sold more than $215 million in debt and stocks over the previous two days.
(Editing by Tony Munroe and Simon Cameron-Moore)
Source: http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/INbusinessNews/~3/gOjYmQykfVA/story01.htm
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Duolingo (for iPad)
If you're looking to learn or practice a language on an iPad app, Duolingo (free) is indisputably the way to go. The app and program are both 100 percent free, and they still outshine practically every other language-learning app I've seen?even the very expensive ones. Your major limitation will be whether Duolingo supports your language of choices, as the list remains tight. Fortunately, Duolingo does include many of the languages most studied by English speakers: Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese (Brazilian). It also has an English (American) learning program for speakers for those languages, except German. While it's not available in the iPad app, the website for Duolingo also includes Mandarin.
From a user's perspective, Duolingo works like most other language-learning programs. You work through exercises or activities to complete lessons which are part of larger units. The structure is clear, shown on a tree diagram, and the app keeps track of your progress synchronously across all the places where you can use Duolingo, from the Duolingo iPhone app and Duolingo Android app to and the Web version. It always remembers where you left off, and it even saves offline the current lesson you're studying and a few near it so that you can continue learning no matter where you are without eating up all the free space on your device.
Is It Fun? Does It Work?
I've been using Duolingo regularly since it was first released in late 2011. While using the program to learn German and practice my very-rusty Spanish, I've definitely increased my German vocabulary and have had some success refreshing my memory of verbs, phrases, and grammar in Spanish.
The mobile version of Duolingo is, in several ways, easier to use than the Web app. Typing special characters, like letters with diacritical marks, takes almost no effort on a smartphone or iPad. Just press and hold the letter you want until other options pop up above it. The Web app handles diacritical marks well (a few options always appear on screen that you can click, so you don't have to learn any difficult keyboard shortcuts), but the iPad app just does it better, and with more ease.
Another neat feature: When you see a sentence in the foreign language that you have to translate to English, you can type using voice commands and Siri, thus minimizing the amount of typing you need to do on the tiny screen.
The Duolingo Web app emphasizes writing quite a bit. The iPad app swaps out about half the writing with an exercise that lets you build a sentence from a group of available words, which you have to put in the right order while also ignoring some words that don't belong at all. Thankfully, the iPad app works in both portrait and landscape mode, so you can maximize the keyboard size when you do need to type.
Duolingo paces the activities in the app superbly. Short sessions work best on mobile devices, and while the content is almost identical to the Web version, enough of it is slightly truncated or tightened up in the iPad app to let you breeze through the activities just a bit quicker.
A Few Flaws
My partner got hooked as well and completed the French program in its entirety. At higher levels, he reported an increasing number of inaccuracies, which any user can flag so that Duolingo's developers can eventually correct them. The higher the level, the fewer the users to spot and flag such problems (and I would bet the lower the priority for the team to fix the errors). For the most part, it's easy to overlook an error here or there, but it becomes irritating when you fail a section because you've answered too many questions "wrong" when you weren't in fact wrong but have to restart that section anyhow. These instances are not too common, however, and are quite rare in the lower levels.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/hry6A1Sh60I/0,2817,2421939,00.asp
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